At Team Durango, we're serious about racing! We're also serious about giving you the best user experience possible when using our website, and to do this we need to use 'cookies'. By continuing to use our website you are implying your consent for us to use cookies. You can read all about what we use cookies for here.

The Flex Brace System for the DEX410 models allows you to tune the flex of the rear of the chassis.

The set consists of a CNC machined aluminium rear brace that mounts to the side rails of the chassis with screws that pass through flexible rubber inserts. The flexibility of the rear of the chassis can be tuned by adjusting the pre-load on the bushings with shims – allowing you to tune your chassis flex for different track conditions.

August 30, 2011

Team Durango’s Kevin Brunsden took home the victory in last weekend’s prestigeous Proline Challenge 1/8th buggy race, held at the all-dirt Slough track. Kevin beat some of the top racers in the UK including national champion Darren Bloomfield on his way to the victory in the hour-long main – proving the strength and durability of the car on the demanding track.

Kevin reports on his experiences below:
The Proline was an event I was looking forward to after I finished second last year. The Saturday started wet so they decided to keep the track closed until midday, meaning we had a long wait until we started. Eventualy things got underway and we were showing good pace from the start, so it was nice to not have to do any tweeks for practice two in which, again, we had very good pace.

Day two, round one of qualifying, and my car was very good and only missed TQ by 1.5 seconds to go third in the round. In the second round the pace was even faster. Again I finished third in the round. I made a couple of mistakes in round three but still finished fifth in the round.

Round four and we decided to make a change to the inserts. We went slightly softer and took TQ in the round! For the fifth and final round of qualifying I changed the rear springs, going slightly harder which enabled me to put in a faster time which was good enough for second in the round. This put me second overall – so I was very happy!

Finals day and I was feeling good. The semi warm-up went well and we tried to do a ten minute run but soon found out this was not going to be possible – so we’d have to revert to a shorter run.

On to the semi-final and it all went smooth. I led from start to finish and put in the second fastest time which was good enough to put me third on the grid for the main.

The main final was up next and I was feeling good. I had a clean start but on lap three made a small error coming over the double jump and droped down to ninth. I just stayed cool and drove smooth. It quickly became apparent that I had a lot of pace over the people infront of me, so I worked my way through the field. After the 12 minute mark I was back up to third and pushing hard – trying to put a gap on the following pack.

By around the 20minute mark I was up to second after passing Craig Drescher who’d broken down. A problem with the leaders’ car at the 30 minute mark again saw me make a pass and up to first place which I held all the way to the line for win, almost a full lap up on the closest competitor.

Kevin used the new vented shock caps on his DNX408 to good effect – and they’re available now!

The weekend of the 21st August saw the 2nd round of the Finnish Championships series being held at Kiiminki. Team Durango DEX410 buggies took the overall TQ spot with Janne Aspinen leading the charge closely followed by fellow Team Durango racer Harri Kervola in 2nd. Also in the A-main was Jani Hovi in 8th position.

A-Main was taken by Harri Kervola as he took the opening and 3rd legs for the victory. Janne Aspinen took the 2nd spot on the podium for a Team Durango 1-2 finish for the DEX410. Jani Hovi took the 6th spot.

Being one of the power house for EP buggy within the Asia region, races in Taiwan always provide a thrill for me. I had previously race there 2 times, the first one was The Durango Cup held in Taipei when DEX-410 first launch into the market. I have then attended another race which is host by a local club in Kaohsiung, the southern part of Taiwan. Both races were very enjoyable and the manners of the local drivers are great! It was so much fun and ever since, I have kept a close eye on what’s going on there and always hoping to return for some more action!

This chance finally came on Wednesday, August 10th, when one of the racers I known from my previous race in Taiwan call me, telling me that there are a big EP race coming up and there were already 99 cars register, which is a record in Taiwan! The only problem with me was, the race is held on the 14th of August, which is only a few days away… Determine to make up the magic “100”, I was dialing the number of my travel agent and arrange everything next to no time.

Held in a little town 15 minutes from the Taiwan Taoyuan airport, close to the major northern city Taipei, The Asia RC EP Buggy is special because the track was purposely built for this race only, and it will be completely remove once the race is finish. This provides a very fair playing field with no one having any local knowledge on the track itself. This alone, attract nearly all the know name from all over Taiwan, including racer from the middle and southern part of Taiwan, no wonder the organizer are calling this a National Race! I was on my flight on the 13th, hopping to have some open practice before the actual race. In order to achieve this, I choose the earliest flight possible and when I walk out from my apartment in Hong Kong, it was still dark… Arriving at around 9:40am, my fellow racer friends from Taiwan then pick me up and time for some decent breakfast. Due to heavy rain on Wednesday and Thursday, the building up of the track got delay and it will not allow any practice until 1pm, so, it was a great chance for me to taste some of the very nice Taiwan food, which I always enjoy

When we finally arrive at the track, the pit area were still under construction, and because of this, you can tell why Taiwan are so strong with their racer. Even without any proper table for setting up and wrenching, the tracks was still full of cars and people are talking about set up already! Again due to rain, the constructor was not able to spend enough time on flatten the ground, so the track appear to be pretty bouncy and rough. Some of the propose jumps was also omitted due to time constraint. Again, this was also an opportunity to show how mature the Taiwan racers are. I heard no complains, and everyone just get on with it, and the most important thing is, everyone enjoys it!

In order to get myself prepare for the up coming DEX-210, this time I have enter two classes, 2WD Mod and 4WD Mod. The 2WD group is the biggest with nearly 50 racer attending. The 4WD group also had a healthy turn up with around 24 racers. There were also 2WD Stadium Truck and 4WD SC competing too. To be honest, I haven’t race with such a big group of people for a long time, and I sincerely wish the booming of the 1/10 EP class lately will also continue through out Asia, especially in China and Hong Kong.

To counter act the rough track, I have done some set up changes. My 410 has performed flawlessly for the last few races and I had all my confident with this class. With the time I have spent on the 410 platform, I was able to found a setting within a couple pack of batteries. I then continue with my 2WD, and for one time in my life, I was able to found an ideal setup in a relatively short time. Pumps up and confident, I then spend some time walking around the track, checking out paces of other racers, and try to learn from others. When the sun finally set, it was time for some Sukiyaki (Japanese style hotpot), did I mention the food in Taiwan are great?

Since there won’t be any assign seat within the pit area, we decide to wake up at 5 o’clock in the morning, and we were at the track at 5:30 sharp on Sunday, and we were not even the first group of people that arrive! After registration and all the necessary timing work, the race was finally starting at 8:30 am. We will all have two 6 minutes round of qualify, and every group will have 3 mains for the final. The best two will then determine who’s gonna be the champion for their class. Except some AMB hiccup, my qualifiers went really well, actually better then I thought.
I was actually on a TQ run for the 2WD class until a miss count of one lap drop me way down the field. This is my entire fault because of the placement of my transponder… I knew I have the pace, but with only one qualify left, I choose a relatively safe strategy and make sure I made the main. Finally I am able to qualify myself for 2nd place for the A-main.

For 4WD class, I am up against some old friends which I knew pretty well. From the first qualify I can tell, some of the known names are still suffering from the rough track and setting obviously are not optimal yet, this is not the case for my DEX-410, I believe my car actually handle the bumpy track really well, specially the main straight where most of us will not dare to accelerate. Again, I had the same problem with my transponder for the first qualify, and I had to rely on my second one. Without any drama, I was again able to qualify 2nd for the 4WD class, not too bad if you consider the little preparation time I have for this race compare with some of my older adventure!

One reason I was so eager to came because I knew one of the sample of the production version of the DEX-210 will be on display through Durango’s Taiwan distributor, and I finally get the chance to hold the car in my hand. Looking at the photo and imagine how it will feel like is one thing, holding it in your own hand is of cause a lot more satisfying! I just wish I am able to run this race with the DEX-210! It was just….marvelous!

The main itself was full of drama, and I will like to start with my 4WD. The first A-main start for me was a disaster; mis-placing my own car on the starting grid, the jump straight after the starting line was taken in a really wired angle and I was off the track from the first jump/corner! Require marshal help, I was down to 7th place in the first lap. Playing catch up is not exactly easy on this bumpy track and I have made a string of mistake by overdriving my 410. With some crazy stunt, I was finally able to…um… break my car. This is the first D.N.F due to breakage for the whole year! That’s racing my friend!

The second main in comparison was a very different mind game, this time I am able to break away and with a great handling car, I am able to pull away from the rest of the pack. When the 3 minutes mark came, I am already 7 seconds ahead of the second place and begin to lap some of the slow starters, determine not to make the same mistake as my first main, I drive with cautious and refuse to push at all, and later, I am going to pay for the price of doing so.

Before the 3rd main start, there are actually 3 people who may won this race: Wun Hong (sorry for the spelling, I am not 100% with that) who won the first main, me who won the second, and the 2nd place finisher for both main, Mr. Sum (Our TQ man). I was able to lead the field for the first few laps, but one mistake Sum went through. We exchange places for a few laps and this let the 3rd car catch up to our fight, driven by Mr. Yeung, one of the most re-known EP racers in Taiwan. We then had a fierce battle for a few laps and by this time, Mr. Sum was already long gone. With around one minutes to go, I drove the best I ever did and I was able to pull back considerable time, by the time we cross the line, I am less then 3 car lengths from Mr. Sum. At this very moment, no body knew who’s gonna be the champion just yet since both Sum and me are on the same point, as fate may turns out, my pace on my second race are just too relax and I was bitten because of this! All in all, a great race, and a great result for Team Durango since we clean up the podium by taking TQ, A1+A2+A3! Job done!

4WD A Final – TD 1-2-3!

4WD B Final

The B-main for the 4WD are won by Scott, who is also a Durango driver. With nearly 80% of the 4WD field running the DEX-410 platform, it was a big success for us.

Although I did not attend the 4WD SC class due to a very limit luggage space, for once I was able to just watch and enjoy and the SC is so much fun to watch! The race again was dominate by the DESC-410R, driven by Mr. Yeung, he was able to pilot the DESC-410R and clinching both TQ and the A-main, congratulation Yeung!

For the 2WD class, TQ goes to Wun Hong and we battle so hard for the 3 mains. I was able to take the first one, with Hong behind. The second main was won by Mr.Wong with me behind. The third main will be the most important one. With the biggest turn out of the day, the 2WD class was considering the one to watch. Hong shot through the gate and was leading the first lap; we then get into a battle with numerous place changes. One thing I will like to praise Hong, being a contender for the out right champion, we did come together at one corner and Hong are so gentleman and wait for me to get flip back, this is something that didn’t happen that often, as I mention earlier, a big thumps up to my fellow Taiwan racer! At this time, Hong started to pull out a small gap, and the race was finish with Hong crossing the line first. I maintain my second place and finger cross, it’s exactly the same situation with the 4WD class with me and Hong tight on the same point. However, this time I was lucky because my first main was actually faster then the 3rd main won by Hong. Due to this, I was crowned the champion for the 2WD class.

All in all, a great race with great atmosphere. Big thumbs up for the organizer, it was a great race which everyone enjoys. I am hoping the Asia RC EP Buggy race will be a good sample for the entire EP race organizer out in Asia, to encourage more and more races within the region.

Special thanks to DD and Wayne, thank you very much for inviting me to the race, just want to let you know I have enjoy every second of it. Thank you very much to the organizer for this race, top job and I can’t wait for the next one, all the best!

Next up, 28th of August, the first EP Buggy Race in HK, the first in many years, so stay tune!

August 27, 2011

Team Durango’s DEX410 wins the 2011 4WD European Championship with Jörn Neumann!

Jörn Neumann put in a great performance at this years electric off road Europea Championships to overcome the disappointment of finishing 2nd at the World Championships – battling against some of the top drivers in the world and taking the 2011 European Championships on the dirt track at Pau, Southern France. Qualifying 2nd overall in the shortened schedule after heavy rain washed out the previous day, Jörn lead the Team Durango charge, with team mates Hupo Hönigl qualifying right behind in 3rd and Martin Kreil 9th. The field was strong, with two former/current World Champions and 6 former/current European Champions in the A. Jörn took the opening two legs of the A-Final to take the overall win in a close fought battle with Lee Martin and Neil Cragg and become the 2011 4WD European Champion.

Jorn Neumann

Hupo Honigl

Having already won the title, Jörn sat out the third leg of the A and Hupo took up the fight – taking second which he held to the line for 4th overall, with Martin Kreil finishing 8th overall.

Jörn won the title in 2004 driving a prototype Durango – hand built by Gerd Strenge – at the tender age of just 13. Another great result for Team Durango after a very sucessful year – proving again that the DEX410 is the 4WD to beat.

Hupo & Jorn’s DEX410 buggies

Martin Kreil

Congratulations to Jörn on his spectacular performance! We’ll have more details and setups available as soon as possible.

Going into the last round of the series, Nathan and Adam Skelding both needed a good score after missing an earlier round due to other commitments. Adam Skelding TQ’d the final meeting of the series with Nathan 2nd and Adam Mackman 5th on the grid for the final. At the tone Adam Skelding and Nathan Waters took to the front and a battle royal ensued for the full 5 minutes with the lead swapping numerous times in the closing laps after some extremely close racing. Nathan eventually took the win by just over a second after making the best of passing lapped traffic on the final lap, with Adam Mackman taking 3rd in the final to move into 3rd place overall in the series. Nathan took the win overall with Adam Skelding 2nd.

Adam Skelding also took home the Short Course series with the DESC410R.

New option parts for the Team Durango DNX408 have been released to tune performance and make your ‘408 stand out from the crowd.

Aluminium Turnbuckles:-
These aluminium turnbuckles offer lower weight when compared to the standard steel part. Anodized gold they also add style to your model. When fitted to the DNX408 model these aluminium turnbuckles offer a massive 62% weight saving over the original steel components.

TD290011 Fuel Tank Lid Puller Set:-
The Fuel Tank Lid Puller Set is designed to improve access to the fuel tank during a pit stop. This part fits to the lid on your fuel tank and allows quick and easy opening of the fuel tank ensuring quick and trouble free pit stops.

This part contains 4 pullers plus the screws required to mount the puller to your fuel tank.

Ross Irwin took the 2011 Scottish Region Championship – a 7-round series spread throughout the summer at three different venues. Ross took an unbeatable lead in the championship after 6 of the 7 rounds had completed – putting the icing on the cake this past weekend of the 21st August where he took the final round of the series.

Ross had this to say about his DEX410 – “The car has been great, very easy to drive. Meaning I could put in consistently quick drives. The best chassis I’ve driven for years!”.